


Angela Merkel

by likingandloving



Series: Sweet and Bitter [3]
Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-30
Updated: 2015-11-30
Packaged: 2018-05-04 06:12:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5323541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likingandloving/pseuds/likingandloving
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben helps Leslie with her paper and Ann thinks it's time to step in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Angela Merkel

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I'm glad that you guys are enjoying this series and I've gotten an overwhelming response to the story! Don't worry, I won't let the burn go on for too long (or while I?) ;)

\---

Leslie runs a frustrated hand through her hair, trying to block out the sounds of some of her customers laughing obnoxiously at something on their phones. It was almost 10 pm, why were they being so noisy?

Can’t they just give her a break? 

The first two hours of her shift are unusually busy, with a couple of kids who are participating in a group study and not actually studying. (How typical. Leslie honestly does not understand the procrastination of her generation. She actually has three binders on how to stop procrastination. Maybe she should just toss them one and hit them in the head. Maybe then they'll shut up.)

They’re still in the coffee shop two hours later, all huddled around and watching something on one of the guy’s phones and completely disrupting the silence and serenity of the coffee shop and it was giving Leslie a tension headache.

She huffed impatiently, rubbing at her temples as she tried to finish her essay. There were a million red marks on it when she got it back from Professor Hawthorne and she couldn’t even begin to phantom why because the paper was about a female political role model who inspired her and she was Leslie Knope.

Who gave _Leslie Knope_ a B- on a paper on female political role models?

And now these inconsiderate assholes were starting to get on her last nerve. Who made so much noise, cackling loudly at a dumb video at 10 in the evening during a supposed study group? She swears if this keeps up she was just going to kick their asses out on the damn curb…

The front door dings and great, _fantastic,_ another stupid-ass customer comes in to bother her and…

“Hey.” Ben’s voice causes her head to snap up and she scrambles to stand up and in her scurry, clumsily drops all of her notes on the other side of the counter.

“Oh, hey Ben. Sorry about the mess.” He chuckles, bending down to pick up all of her notes before she had a chance to come to the other side of the counter.

“No, it’s cool, I have it.”

“Oh, thanks.” Her cheeks pink slightly as he hands her the essay she’s practically lost her mind for.

“Angela Merkel. Let me guess, you’re in Hawthorne’s class and he’s making you do the paper on inspiring female political figures in the 21st century?” He comments offhandedly. Leslie nods before unhappily reviewing her papers again.

“Uh yeah, he’s been busting my ass about it though despite the fact that I’m the only History major in his class.”

“Well, Angela Merkel is one of his favorite politicians of all time since she’s one of the most powerful women in the 21st century. She has been Chancellor of Germany since 2005 and has made major political reforms since the unification. He’s always been a little more critical of papers about her since he’s read maybe three or four of her biographies. Hawthorne’s memorized her life inside and out, so maybe he’s looking for a different edge.”

She must have been staring at him with a dumb look on her face for an uncomfortable amount of time because he starts to laugh nervously and rubs the back of his neck in this cute way and ugh, why is everything he does so _cute_?

“I was his TA last semester.” Of course he was a TA. Hot, cute face, great butt and smart? Was there something this boy couldn’t do?

“Oh, y-yeah, that’s cool. What will you be having tonight?”

“I’ll just have my usual.”

“Okay, that will be three ninety-five.” He nods, handing her a crumpled five-dollar bill.

“Y’know, if you need help with the paper, I can help you.”

“You would help me?” Leslie asks, a little surprised at his offer. Ben nods, smiling and gestures to his table.

“I mean, I don’t have much to do tonight and it would be good to use my guide to passing Hawthorne’s class on someone.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets and rocks on the balls of his feet, again rubbing the back of his neck and he needs to stop doing that if he doesn’t want to be suddenly assaulted by her lips.

“Uh, yeah, sure that would be good.”

She brews his coffee with more care, making the measurements exact and the temperature just right. She takes her Sharpie and writes down ‘Ben’ at the side of the cup and this time she does draw a smiley face next to his name and when she brings it to him, he smiles and takes a sip and tells her that’s it’s amazing, almost an exact replica of their last encounter.

The only exception is that she joins him at his usual table with a cup of fresh hot chocolate topped with tons of whipped cream and her book bag.

Before they start, Ben turns to the noisy group of students a few tables away.

“Can you please actually study instead of watching videos on Instagram? If you want to keep watching videos, you can do it in your dorm rooms instead of a coffee shop where it’s supposed to be quiet.”

There’s something about the mad face he makes, the way his eyebrows furrow and his lips draw together in a sharp line makes Leslie want to reach over the table and run her fingers through his unruly hair and kiss him breathless.

\---

“…So like I said, there’s a lot of things about Angela Merkel that you could focus on outside of her being Chancellor. She’s an extraordinary woman and I’m sure you can find something different to write about.”

They spend the entire night going over her paper, with Ben helping her read the almost undecipherable marks that were written in the margins and giving her ideas about things to focus on. He doesn’t shake his head condescendingly or even grimace when there’s a wrong fact in her paper; instead he points it out and guides her to reference materials that would help her.

Ben’s words get Leslie thinking as she stares at her paper later that night and decides that it was worth a try.

She takes what he said to heart, consulting some points he’s written down and reading references his highlighted passages and rewrites her paper, focusing instead on the triple anomaly that Angela Merkel was at the time she ran for Chancellor and how that boosted her campaign.

Hawthorne gives her a thumbs up and a quick smile, telling her that it was exactly what he wanted and no one has ever turned a paper in on Angela Merkel prior to her being Chancellor.

It lands her an A and Ben a tight hug and free cup of coffee, the smiley face drawn on the side as wide as the smile he gives her when she tells him all about her paper.

That night, Ben leaves the coffee shop with a purple post-it in his fingers and a smile on his lips.

_I owe you big time. Thank you so much for all of your help._

_\- A Future Angela Merkel_

\---

“You’re _crazy_ , Ann. I don’t get off work until 11 tonight!”

“Yeah and we can _still_ make the party. Can you just let me fix your hair?” Ann reaches up over the counter to brush a few loose strands of hair and Leslie does her best to swat her away. Ann sighs because Leslie has turned down every party invitation they’ve received the past month and she has no idea why she doesn’t want to go to frat parties and meet cute boys. She doesn't even want to call Dave, who has been bugging her non-stop every since he found out that he was flying back to Indiana for winter break. She tries to reach for the stray hairs on top of Leslie’s head, thinking of maybe tie it cutely to the back when the familiar ding of the front door draws her attention.

Ann notices the way that Leslie’s face lights up, the way a smile curls at her lips and how there’s a glinting in her bright blue eyes. The guy who comes in is wearing a Letters To Cleo shirt under his winter jacket, smiling brightly when Leslie greets him with a wave. He looks familiar, like she’s seen him before, but Ann’s not exactly sure where.

“Hey Ben! How are you?”

Ben? She already knew this guy’s name? She’s never heard Leslie talk about a Ben before.

“I’m doing pretty good. What about you? Did your trigonometry midterms go okay?” There’s genuine concern and interest in his expression, but there’s a split second where his eyes run over Leslie’s face as she looks down and Ann can’t help but raise a skeptical eyebrow.

Now this is getting _very_ interesting.

“Yeah, I did pretty well. Your trick really did help and I’m hoping to get at least a B this time.”

Ann watches as he laughs nervously, rubbing a hand at the back of his neck and makes some comment about her probably doing better than she expected. The interaction isn’t exactly awkward, but there’s like there was something lying underneath all their pleasantries and small talk.

There’s pink in Leslie’s cheeks when he says something about some girl she’s heard Leslie talk about before and he smiles and when she starts droning on about the intricacies of federal land purchases, inputting a little bit on the topic himself.

Oh God.

They’re both dorks and the same kind of dork.

It takes a while, but Ann waits until Ben is sitting down and away from them to turn to Leslie.

“Ben? How come you’ve never told me about Ben before?” Ann hisses under her breath, watching as Leslie ignores her and continues to brew coffee.

“What do you mean ‘told you about Ben’? Ben’s just a regular customer.”

“Yeah, a regular customer who is so _clearly_ into you.” Leslie balks a little at the information, but shakes her head like she’s shaking off the information.

“What? Ben? Ben is _not_ into me.” Leslie tells her, but the way her eyes brig

“How can you not see it? You both practically eye fucked while talking about _trigonometry_.”

“We were not eye fucking and I don’t appreciate the use of that lewd term…”

Ann steps in front of the coffee machine, blocking it from Leslie’s reach and forcing her to look at her.

“You’re into him. I can obviously see that.”

“I’m not into him. He’s just a customer and I provide customer service. Now can you please stop bothering me and let me do my job?” Ann relents and allows her to brew Ben’s coffee, her phone indicating that a new message has come in. It was probably Chris, Ann’s newest boyfriend since she broke up with Mark.

Ann giggles, smiling goofily into her phone as she types out a reply and yes, it was definitely Chris. Leslie rolls her eyes before heading over to Ben with his cup of coffee.

She looks back at Ben, trying to place his face. She could swear that she’s seen him somewhere before, especially with Chris…. Then, she briefly remembers that one time in Chris’ shower, where Chris was showing her just how good his running was doing to his resistance, when suddenly there was a whoosh of the door and  a lanky guy in a Letters To Cleo t-shirt, apologizing profusely before stumbling out of their bathroom and screaming about them sanitizing it. 

Oh my God.

She shoots Chris a quick text, asking about where his roommate and Chris simply replies:

_I think he’s at the coffee shop. He always goes there now and they make literally the best coffee I’ve ever had. Why do you ask?_

Ann glances over to where Leslie is still talking to him, laughing and brushing a hand against his arm as he smiled up at her, grin wide.

She does all this and then tells Ann that she’s _not_ into Ben? She shoots Chris a quick text before waving goodbye to a distracted Leslie, saying that she'll see her in their apartment later and already has a list of things Leslie could wear tonight. 

_What would you say if we did a little match making tonight?_

\---


End file.
